omicron, the vast majority are among the unvaccinated. who are also 20 times more likely to die of covid than those who are fully vaccinated and boosted. and despite those terrible odds, some people still seem willing to die to own the which means they re willing to die for a lie. many of them have been misled by right wing media, fallen prey to conspiracy entrepreneurs or partisan grifters. but perhaps the most damning proof point is the number of prominent anti-vaxxers who died of covid during this pandemic. and it is a long list. but i think it is important to say their names. not to shame them, but so others don t die in vain. because some tried to warn their followers they were wrong in their final days, like nashville radio host phil valentine. in fact, local right wing radio lost a number of vocal anti-vaxx advocates like florida s dick farrell and mark burnier, who both died in august. farrell, a news max host called
three influential conservative radio hosts, all of whom used their platforms to criticize covid vaccines, are now dead after contracting the virus. dick farrell, phil valentine and mark burnier all died within the past month. as political divides deepens will their deaths sway the minds of listeners. joining me, alan smith. give me a sense of the consensus here. is it going to change any minds about the vaccine in what are you hearing? well, from one of the gentlemen i spoke to who i know he was a kentucky republican, he has been hesitant to take the vaccine really this whole time, this hit him. you know, he was aware that these guys had died and he still, still is on the fence about it. and why? why is he hesitant?
will not be the dominant part of joe biden s legacy. picking up on what you were just saying, mark, he is certainly attempting to pass several social initiatives including voting rights and infrastructure bills. if joe biden is able to successfully sweep these measures through, do you think that it would approach the legacy of lyndon b. johnson and the great society? probably not, alex, but the comparison is hard to make. it was a very different washington when lyndon johnson held the presidency. bipartisanship was a natural part of the political process. that s not the case as we know in 2021. it won t be the case for the balance of joe biden s presidency. by the same token, alex, joe biden can become the most progressive president since lyndon johnson with the sweeping infrastructureal program. the key for biden is not just passing. it is telling the american people what it means to them,
particularly those independents. we have seen independents go from a 60% approval rating to 36% after the fall of afghanistan. so it is going to be very important for joe biden not only to pass it but to tell americans why it is so important to them. but, mark, if it doesn t pass, the sweeping pieces of legislation he wants to get through, how much will people remember at least that he tried, the message that he was? do those things just get relegated as footnotes? i think the fact that he stands for something can mean something if action is taken around it, alex, and the most manifest action is around legislation which creates that change. if biden can create a movement out of this, that becomes important as well, but the legislation is a pretty key component to joe biden s success as president. markupdegrove, love the chat. come see me any time.
you know, gay marriages are back on hold in california following a federal court s ruling. the ninth circuit court says marriages cannot take place until it considers an appeal. arguments are now set for december. and jurors in the rod blagojevich corruption trial will review testimony transcripts today in hopes of breaking their deadlock. they ve not been able to reach unanimous decision on the majority of the charges for the past 14 days. gretchen. thank you, peter. numerous public figures have spoken out in the days following president obama s controversial mosque comments on friday. how do people around the country really feel? the american public? plus there s new concerns that president obama s latest mortgage modification could be just a waste of tax dollars. joining me for this week s radio rumble, host of the mark burnier show and chicago radio host mancow. i m going to call you that, ok? let me start with you.